Shrule/Glencorrib pip the Sarsfields
The Sarsfields poor run in Division 1 A of The Welcome Inn senior league continued when they were edged out by Shrule/Glencorrib in round six in a well contested match played in Shrule recently. This defeat leaves the Sarsfields hovering dangerously in the basement end of the table and a couple of wins are of paramount importance in their remaining games if they are to maintain their division 1 a status.
The scoreline of 2-8 to 0-13 in favour of the South Mayo men indicates the closeness of the game throughout and it hinged on two goals both of which went the home side’s way which were crucial to final outcome.  The Sarsfields to be fair played some good stuff but two cardinal defensive lapses cost them victory in the finish and these blemishes blotted an otherwise god performance with several players really prominent all through in what was an encouraging performance with a big month ahead for the team in terms of championship and their defence of the Moclair Cup.  There was little to choose between the team after a whirlwind start by the home side who raced into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead after fifteen minutes. The Sarsfields were in a hole but slowly they edged their way back into to the game thanks to some fine scores by Joseph McBrien and Paul Mulligan who was at his best from both the hand and the land. By the time the interval arrived, the Sarsfields were just one point in arrears having pegged the scoreline back to 0-6 to 0-5 with Shrule just holding sway.  The second half was a ding dong affair with both sides slugging it out and going for the jugular in terms of victory. Shrule opened with a point but Brendan Quinn cancelled this out with a fine effort from distance. Then came the first of the home side’s goals when Mark Ronaldson availed of some slack sarsfields marking to slide rule the ball under the advancing David Sloyan in the sarsfields goal to give Shrule a real fillip in terms of morale and confidence.
The Sarsfields were reeling but they dug in and three points in quick succession from Paul Mulligan two from frees and one from play brought the visitors right back into contention. They were rocked back on their heels a minute later however when a costly turnover in the Sarsfields half back line  saw Brian Murphy with a clear run through on goal and despite the best efforts of sarsfields full back Daragh McMeel who half blocked his shot which diverted the path of the ball away from the diving David Sloyan in the Sarsfields goal to send the home supporters into raptures of delight and in contrast deflate the sarsfields team and management who must have been ruing their luck at this stage.   It looked game set and match for the home side but the Sarsfields once again battled back and four  quick points on the bounce left just one between them once again as the clock ticked down to the finish. Time was the Sarsfields enemy however and the kick out following David Tiernan score signalled full time and left the sarsfields crestfallen as they had invested so much in a match that was most definitely there for the taking.  They had good performances form Daragh McMeel, David Caffrey, Enda Casey and Aidan Higgins in defence. Benny Quinn had a fine game at midfield fielding superbly on occasions and landing one fine point to underline his good form.  In attack Paul Mulligan had a super match bagging a personal tally of 0-9 and showing loads of endeavour and leadership as he gave his marker a tough hour. He got good support from Martin Mulvaney who had a very good second half winning loads of breaking ball and working tirelessly off the ball in search of possession. David Tiernan too when introduced at half time also made some plays and with the Sarsfields injury list beginning to clear up they will be looking forward to having a good second half of the season as the team nears something like it’s best form.

Senior Championship Fixture
Charlestown Sarsfields enter the cauldron that is Westport to take on the locals in round 3 of the group on Sunday August 8th with the throw in timed for 2.30pm (Check sports pages for details and confirmation). The Sarsfields are unbeaten to date and put their unbeaten record on the line against a Westport team that’s sure to be fired up as they have plenty to play for having won two of their three group games to date. The Sarsfields will be hoping to have a strong panel available to them for selection as a win will leave them in good shape and see them top the group with Kiltaine the final game in their section coming a week later. The Sarsfields form has been mixed to date as with their league form being particularly poor having lost five of their six games to date. They have however picked it up for the championship and will travel to Westport with loads to play for as they strive to top the section and secure their quarter final place. It should be a cracker and a large support is expected to turn out to lend their backing to what we hope will be a victory.

Junior Championship
Charlestown Sarsfields travel to Lahardane to take on the locals in the junior championship on Saturday August 7th with the throw-in timed for 7.30pm. The Sarsfields have played two games to date in their section defeating Swinford but losing to Castlebar with Lahardane boosting a similar record. This third round group game is a key game with regard to determining the outcome of the group and the Sarsfields will be hoping to field their best possible team in order to achieve what’s sure to be a victory that will be hard earned.

Bord Na n-Og Card Game
Bord na n-Og continue with their weekly card game on Friday nights in The Pastoral Centre Lowpark,  Charlestown and there was a good turnout  at the game on Friday night  July 23rd      and the following were the prize winners :

1st Prize: Eamon and Lilian Walsh
2nd Prize: Joe Lowther and Jim Kilcoyne, Packie-Joe Kennedy and Eugene McLoughlin, George and Betty McCaul
Spot Prize: Kevin Durcan and Jim Grimes, John O`Loughlin and Lukie Dunleavy
Raffle:  Martha Durcan, Sean Duffy, Tony Hyland and Packie-Joe Kennedy
Game takes place every Friday night @9pm in The Pastoral Centre, Lowpark, Charlestown and all are welcome.

Under-8 Training
Under -8 training for boys takes place in O`Hara Park on Friday evenings between 6-7pm. All are welcome as the Sarsfields gets ready to coach and teach the next batch of would be Sarsfields stars.

C.B.D Complex News
The Charlestown and Bellaghy Sports Complex will be closed for its annual holiday from Monday August 2nd to Sunday August 15th. It will re-open on Monday August 16th where it will be business as usual.  

Sarsfields Development Draw
The Sarsfields G.A.A. Club are busy promoting their Development draw which has been well received by the general public as the club  strive to fund and pay for the many and exciting developments which have taken place in O`Hara Park since the turn of the year. This draw is a novel idea with ticket prices ranging from five but not exceeding fifteen euro. The ticket price is contained in an envelope the price of which can be five euro fifteen pence or thirteen euro fifty six pence depending on the price marked on the ticket inside the envelope. The club are promoting them hard in the run up to the holiday weekend and they are looking for as much support as possible as they aim to sell in excess of one thousand tickets to make it a worthwhile and profitable exercise. All support is gratefully received and with a prize fund of two thousand euro on offer it’s well worth a gamble with the first prize a whopping 1 000 Euro which would be a nice haul to net in these turbulent financial times. There will be also ten 100 consolation prizes on offer as well so it represents good value for money and with the tickets very reasonably priced it provides a fighting chance to everybody to win some cash. The draw will be held in KD’s Bar Church Street, Charlestown on the August Bank Holiday weekend so with time running out now is your time to make a purchase which just might net you a lovely cash prize to spend with a vengeance as the holiday season gets into full swing.

Charlestown trio compete in Humbert Half Iron Triathlon Challenge
Well done to the Charlestown trio of Nuala O`Donnell –Johnson, Christina Duffy and Emmet Gavaghan who competed under the Team Charlestown banner which took part in the Humbert Half Iron Triathlon Challenge which was held in Swinford on Sunday July 25th. The event which was hosted by the Swinford Tri Club and was a resounding success and attracted a huge number of entries from all over Ireland to compete in the three disciplines which were a 1.9Km swim, a 90Km cycle and a 20 Km run. Team Charlestown selected three excellent competitors with Nuala doing the swim, Emmet taking over on the bike with Christina completing the run and all three performed superbly in their respective disciplines and did the team proud. Well done to Nuala who honed her stroke in the swimming pool in Church Street, Charlestown and the many years she spent in the pool served her well in what were a tough swim and a real test of endurance. She got through it with aplomb however and is a proof positive of the virtues of practise and dedication where she spent many a day developing her talents in the swimming pool which stood her in good stead for the swim. Eileen McGuinness another Charlestown  lady who spent many an hour in the Charlestown swimming pool also completed the swim with distinction and she’s another product of the Charlestown swimming pool and was without doubt one of  the finest swimmers to graduate from the pool.
Emmet Gavaghan took up the baton on the cycle and finished in an excellent time with the all the hard work and many hours of cycling he has been putting in on the roads over the last year or so paying handsome dividends. Emmet has taken to the bike in a big way and he follows a great tradition of bikes as his dad Marty ran a very successful bicycle shop for years in Barrack Street so it’s fair to say Emmet was reared on bikes and he’s maintaining the tradition in no small way with his pedal power which sees him clocking up big distances in good times.
Christina Duffy took over the baton for the 20Km run and she did the side proud putting in a very respectable time which is no great surprise as she regularly takes to the roads around Charlestown a couple of times a week and this dedication has served her well as she taken part and competed in several marathons over the years and has the whole demanding form of distance running off to a fine art. Well done to all three participants and to Eileen McGuiness and Kathy Regan another Charlestown lady who also took part in the swim and completed with honours.